Season of the Wolf

by Rachel Jonas

  “Yet?”

  Beth nodded. “First, there’s kind of a period of limbo, where her authority within our pack will continue to diminish while mine is strengthening. The Elder explained others have had a sense of the shift in power as well—kids being able to override their alpha’s commands most notably—but they have a feeling it’s happening on a much larger scale than what’s been reported.”

  I didn’t respond, unsure what the long-term implications might be of something like this happening. Especially right now, with there being so many other moving pieces to factor in.

  Beth and I partnered up when the time came and took to a mat deep in a corner. One I made sure was far, far away from my brothers. Even with the effort I made to convince them to stay behind at the house, they insisted on coming to support me.

  The few weak punches I threw were easy for Beth to block as my gaze volleyed between her and the guys. They were definitely watching. When I faced forward again, my very patient best friend followed my gaze.

  “You know them or something?” she asked, making my stomach drop.

  Hilda would kill me if I told the whole truth, so I answered as honestly as I could without saying too much.

  “Sorta-kinda.”

  Her brow quirked when our eyes locked again. “Is that even an answer?” she smiled.

  “It is. I just met them yesterday,” I added.

  “Are they some of the shifters who came to help?” Her tone wasn’t suspicious at all, just curious.

  “Yeah.” I was happy these questions were easy to get around without lying.

  Beth gave a shrug and then took her stance again when I did. I had to relax, pretend they weren’t here, because if I couldn’t, there would surely be more questions.

  We exchanged a few hits and settled into a good rhythm when a shadow darkening the entrance caught our attention. My punches slowed again as I watched Nick saunter toward the center of the room in sweats. He seemed … bothered. Maybe it was his tense posture or that uncomfortable look on his face that gave it away.

  He exchanged a few words with Dallas before being assigned to alternate partners with a team that had already been paired near the bleachers. Nick sat with both elbows perched on his knees while watching the two spar, awaiting his turn. His gaze drifted around the room, observing until, eventually, it landed on me.

  I forced a smile, feeling the same awkward tension resurface that lingered between us the last time we saw one another. I couldn’t help but to wonder if he heard it even now—that sound, the one he described as a persistent buzzing … the one that made him take off into the woods like it might drive him to do something drastic if he didn’t.

  I focused on training again, doing my best to ignore the questions that all seemed to pop into my head at once.

  Eventually, things settled down and I nearly forgot about all the outside distractions. We were winded and sweating already—the result of keeping up with our partners’ otherworldly speed and agility.

  “You’ve gotten so much faster,” Beth panted, pausing to catch her breath.

  “Finally,” I joked, making her smile. It wasn’t lost on me that I hadn’t regressed from not being able to attend. Somehow, things were easier, more natural.

  Her eyes drifted to the clock on the wall, prompting mine to do the same. “Ten more minutes,” I acknowledged.

  Soon, I’d be headed home for a shower and dinner, which sounded like music to my ears. No, it wouldn’t make for the most exciting Friday night, but neither did my old routine with my parents—our ritual of kicking our weekend off with a movie. I suppose I was simple because, tonight, I mostly looked forward to lazing around in Liam’s bed, listening to music or just talking about whatever randomness popped into our heads.

  It was as close as we got to normal and being with him took my mind off things, which was a miracle in and of itself.

  A few combat exercises later and Dallas blew his whistle, signaling all of us to gather in the center of the room. Not too far on my left, Nick shifted from one foot to the other, giving off so much nervous energy I could feel it from where I stood. With his eyes so focused on Dallas, I got the impression he was intentionally trying to avoid making eye contact with me. And then, when he popped an earbud into one ear—the ear that would have been most susceptible to the buzzing—I guessed all my assumptions were spot on.

  He still heard it.

  I faced forward again.

  “Good work today,” Dallas announced, glancing around the room at us all. “It’s obvious we have a ton of new faces, but from what I’ve seen today, even the newcomers pulled their weight.”

  There was only a hint of a smile on his face. In this role, he was all about military precision and order.

  “We’ll be meeting again in a couple days,” he went on. “Same place, same time. In the meantime, anyone got questions?”

  A couple hands shot into the air and Dallas cleared up confusion about what one kid needed to work on before the next session, and another inquiry about what shoes he thought it was best to train in. Both questions seemed to annoy him with their simplicity, but he answered politely.

  “Anything else?” he asked with an eye roll.

  When no one spoke, we were dismissed.

  Beth and I chatted a bit while going to retrieve our bags from the bleachers. When we got there, Nick was getting his things, too. We were standing too close not to acknowledge one another, which I’m guessing was the only reason he did.

  His hand lifted into the air with a quick wave. “Hey, how’s it going?” His tone was dry and impatient, like he couldn’t wait to get away.

  That same anxious energy I sensed before made electricity scatter across my skin.

  “Everything’s good,” I answered, trying to imagine what this noise must have sounded like, what it could have meant.

  “Where’s Roz?” I forced out, needing to fill the dead air. “I noticed she’s not here.”

  He seemed distracted as he shoved a towel inside his bag. “Yeah, um … she had a … thing with her dad, the Elders,” he explained vaguely.

  Had it not been for the conversation I just had with Beth, I wouldn’t have had a clue what the meeting was about.

  I nodded and had just decided to make small-talk so this conversation wouldn’t be such a fail, but he hiked his bag up his shoulder and spoke before I had the chance.

  “Uh … listen, I have to take off. Richie just texted to say he’s waiting outside, but I’ll catch up with you in a bit,” he said, flashing a weak smile. No, it was a pained smile.

  I felt concern spread in my expression and was certain he could see it.

  “Sure. Yeah … okay.”

  As soon as the words left my mouth, he started in the opposite direction of where I stood.

  “What’s up with him?” Beth asked, popping a stick of gum into her mouth.

  I shrugged, unsure of how to explain the little bit I knew.

  She didn’t press for more info, just followed as I started toward my brothers, feeling a little nervous knowing they most likely watched and scrutinized my every move tonight.

  But then … my feet stopped dead in their tracks. The lights that hung above flickered in tandem with a thunderous tremor, one that vibrated deep beneath our feet.

  My gaze darted in Dallas’ direction and I grabbed Beth’s hand before rushing toward him. Even Nick halted, just shy of making a clean exit. His head swiveled as the building reverberated with energy from the loud blast.

  I reached Dallas, my brothers.

  “What was that?” It was a stupid question, seeing as how they’d been blocked off from the outside world for the last hour and a half just like I had.

  “We’ll go check it out,” Declan offered.

  I wasn’t surprised when the others and Dallas followed him, moving toward the exit like a living wall. Beth and I trailed them, too, but slowed when our names were called. Chris and Lucas approached from the left.

  “Hang on.
We’re coming with you,” Chris announced as their steps synced with ours.

  Naturally, when we made it to Nick, he fell in step as well. It seemed that, with his concern focused on what went on beyond these walls, he hardly noticed the sound I was convinced he now heard whenever I was around.

  The five of us walked the dark hallway just beyond the gym’s double doors, leading toward the exit of the Athletic Building. Outside, the moment we tasted night air, there was no missing the plume of smoke that billowed against the inky sky.

  “Looks like it’s coming from somewhere north. Somewhere near the falls,” Dallas explained, finding me in the small crowd that gathered in the lot.

  I felt my chest expanding at record speed as my breaths came faster. “What about Liam? Elise and Hilda? We have to get to them.”

  Dallas pointed to a phone pressed to his ear I hadn’t noticed before. “I’ve got Elise on the line now. They’re all fine, just wondering what’s going on. She’s checking in with the guards.”

  With his reassurance, I only settled a little.

  The door of a truck slamming brought my attention to Richie as he approached. He, too, was on a call, asking someone on the line for an update. The grave look on his face, the urgency in his steps as he moved toward Nick, made fear spike in me once more, like it never left. When his expression turned grim as the person responded in his ear, my stomach did a somersault.

  Three words left his mouth and the crowd fell silent when he uttered them. “It’s the dam.”

  The dam …

  “Everyone needs to get to higher ground!” Richie’s voice boomed to the crowd, prompting those who once stood observing to rush toward their vehicles.

  It was Nick who turned to his brother to ask the hard question amidst the sound of screeching tires, with the glare of headlights whizzing past.

  “What about everyone else?”

  That dark look was still plastered on Richie’s face when he answered. “The authorities are working on evacuating those they can.”

  I frowned, asking, “What do you mean ‘those they can’?”

  Richie leveled a solemn look my way. “Whoever did this, whoever caused the explosion,” he said, as if we didn’t already know who was behind it “… they must’ve severed communication to landlines beforehand.”

  It became clear the Sovereign wanted this town to suffer, experience devastation at its worst—a lesson to never cross him, I guessed.

  “We’re spreading the word as quickly as we can via cell phone while we’re able, hoping people are notified quickly enough,” Richie added.

  I couldn’t even form a single thought. The fate of this town rested solely on civilians starting phone chains or going door to door. There was no way to contact the owners of large establishments unless someone present happened to get the call in time to warn everyone else.

  Chaos.

  That’s what was ahead of us. We were a matter of minutes away from it, actually.

  My head reeled when Dallas sprang into action, his military experience already proving to be more useful in a crisis than my tendency to panic.

  “You seven to the truck,” his voice boomed, addressing my brothers and I when he gestured toward Liam’s pickup we borrowed to get here.

  I didn’t miss the nervous glance Dallas aimed in the general direction of the falls as the guys filed in, lowering the truck’s bed beneath their weight.

  What was happening?

  What was the Sovereign’s plan?

  A tight hug squeezed my neck when Beth grabbed me. “I’m gonna go check on my parents and then I’ll call. If I can’t get through, I’ll be by later to check on you.”

  I nodded aimlessly, in shock. I stood there, watching as Beth sprinted to her car, watching as Chris and Lucas followed in a jeep, likely planning to make sure she got home okay.

  “Don’t panic.”

  I turned toward Nick’s voice, only now realizing he hadn’t moved yet. The solemn look on his face surprised me for two reasons. One, because he was probably the calmest out of everyone. Two, because it helped me focus a bit.

  “Your place is at a high enough elevation and far enough away from the river that you all shouldn’t be affected if this thing breaks. Same with Beth,” he added, knowing I was just as concerned about her, the others.

  He added to his statement, and it was then that my thoughts aligned. “And your parents will be fine, too.”

  My parents …

  When my gaze wandered up from the pavement to meet his, he couldn’t have understood the look I gave—a mixture of dread, fear, and sadness flooded in all at once.

  “But they’re … they’re not at home,” I stammered, adding more dribble I’m sure seemed random to Nick. “It’s Friday.”

  His brow knitted together with confusion. “What does that mean?”

  I pushed my fingers through my hair and held them there, trying to think, trying to decide what to do next, how to fix this.

  “It’s … it’s our … their movie night. They never miss,” I explained frantically, hoping it made sense.

  The theater, just like this school, was nestled in the valley right at the foot of one of many rolling hills. They made the landscape of Seaton Falls the most picturesque I ever laid eyes on. However, in this instance, they made it a death trap. The heart of town would be the epicenter, the destination of the rushing water when the dam inevitably gave way, succumbing to the river behind its gate.

  A loud, blaring horn followed by a very irritated, “Evangeline, let’s get a move on!” shouted from the truck by Dallas made me feel like I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

  Another quick press of the horn from the other direction was Nick’s warning from Richie.

  The blood ran cold in my veins as it suddenly became clear what I needed to do. Turning to Nick, I stammered a quick statement, one I didn’t have time to fully explain.

  “I have to go,” I forced out. “Tell Dallas he has to keep him there—Liam. He has to do whatever it takes to keep him there at the house. He can’t come looking for me,” I urged, feeling wetness touch my cheeks.

  There were so many things wrong with this decision, starting with me breaking my promise not to run toward danger, but I had no choice. My parents would be defenseless if the dam broke. At least I’d have a chance.

  And I was willing to risk my life to give them one, too.

  “Nick,” I pleaded. “You have to tell him to make sure Liam doesn’t come after me.” Yes, I was begging, but I didn’t care how pathetic it made me look.

  A quick nod came before an agreement that set me on my way right after. “I’ll tell him,” he promised.

  And, with that, Nick giving me his word, I took off in the opposite direction of home, deeper into the valley.

  Liam might never forgive me for defying him yet again, but I was willing to accept that it might take him time to come around. He would have to understand.

  I had no choice.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Nick

  “Nick! Truck … now!”

  With Richie yelling at the back of my head, I trudged toward Dallas when he stepped out, his eyes scanning the lot when he noticed Evie no longer stood with me.

  I promised I’d deliver her message and would make good on it, despite the nagging burn in my chest when Richie pulled rank. He was urging me to submit, but fighting it had become so easy, training myself to quench the burn.

  I continued ahead meeting Dallas at the bed of the truck where six brutes—all strangers to me—hopped out one-by-one. Concern marked their expressions as they, too, scanned for Evie.

  “She doesn’t want anyone to follow her,” I announced, putting my life on the line judging by the death-stares the strangers and Dallas leveled my way.

  I put my hands up in surrender, adding, “Don’t shoot the messenger.”

  Dallas braced both hands on his waist, releasing a frustrated sigh as his face reddened.

  “I swear that gi
rl can never just … follow directions,” he seethed, which made it clear this wasn’t new behavior for Evie.

  “She also wanted me to tell you that Liam can’t come looking for her.”

  I hadn’t said so at the time, but I knew she meant to protect him.

  “Where’d she go?”

  At the question, I nearly let her destination slip, but knew what would happen if I did. Dallas would ignore Evie’s wishes and chase after her. If he did, he’d never make it home to deter Liam.

  I said the only thing I knew to say.

  “Not sure, but I’m going after her.”

  I hadn’t noticed Richie standing behind me until he spoke up.

  “Over my dead body,” he growled. “Get in the truck. I’m taking you home.”

  The burn returned and I extinguished it yet again. There was no missing the deep rumble in my brother’s throat.

  “I’ll go,” I reiterated, looking Dallas square in his eyes.

  He had no reason to trust me. He knew everything there was to know about me, including the fact that I could hear Evie’s heart, knew the reason why. But under these circumstances, I was his best bet.

  With a deep sigh full of regret, he nodded, grabbing my bicep when I turned to walk away. The threatening action set Richie on edge and I felt his wolf stepping forward.

  “You bring her back,” Dallas warned through clenched teeth, practically daring me to make a false move.

  She was loved. I got it. So, instead of taking offense to his tone, the gesture, I simply nodded. “I won’t let you down.”

  As risky as it was to answer with such certainty, I did it anyway, praying I hadn’t just made a promise I didn’t have the power to keep.

  ***

  It wouldn’t have surprised me if Dallas had ordered the six from the truck to escort me. But what did catch me off guard was that he didn’t have to. As soon as I mentioned going after Evie, they volunteered. I was positive they knew what potential danger lie ahead, but none seemed to care.

  I knew as much because … here they were.

  They still hadn’t shared much info about themselves, like … who they were, or why they willingly followed me, but one thing was clear; they had to have cared about Evie.